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citricsquid | karma 14884 | avg karma 6.97 · 2012-05-19 01:56:44

a bar is not a public place, it's a private place that the public are invited into.

jrockway | karma 72069 | avg karma 3.74 · 2012-05-19 07:44:45+00:00

Aren't bars more formally referred to as "public houses"?

citricsquid | karma 14884 | avg karma 6.97 · 2012-05-19 07:49:24+00:00

sure, but public in "public house" (or just "pub") means open to the public, it doesn't mean that the public have some sort of right to access, whereas a public street means it's accessible by everyone.

Relating to the usage of the word public, humorously in England we have "public school" which is the American "private school", in America if you go to public school you're considered normal and in England if you go to public school you're considered rich.

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